Issue with Virgin users

**Star** · #1 (**permalink**) 18-04-2008, 12:55

Hello!

Some of my website hosting users who are with Virgin as their net supplier seem to be having problems with my website hosting, they find it goes down for 2 -3 minutes periodically throughout the day.

Anyone got any ideas as to why this is?

**vzAddict** · #2 (**permalink**) 18-04-2008, 13:18

Hello,

Please send an email to VPS Hosting[at]eukhost.com along with the traceroute from website hosting users (which are with virgin ISP) so that we can assist you in a better way.

**Star** · #3 (**permalink**) 18-04-2008, 13:19

Sorry, what is a traceroute exactly?

Thank you for your reply!

**Star** · #4 (**permalink**) 18-04-2008, 13:47

Ignore that, I've worked it out!

I shall send it in an email. Thanks again.

**jc8654** · #5 (**permalink**) 18-04-2008, 14:42

I occasionally have a similar issue (but I sometimes also think it's my PC). Flushing the DNS usually sorts it. To do that, open up command prompt and then type ipconfig/flushdns. Alternatively, reconnecting usually connecting usually sorts it although that isn't always ideal.

Out of interest, are these people using the cable or ADSL service from Virgin?

**freeneasy** · #6 (**permalink**) 18-04-2008, 15:04

We to have a lot of users that have connectivity issues that are on the Virgin network.

They are not constant problems but when it occurs the users cannot access our web site hosting at all for maybe 2 or 3 hours.

I have advised all the users that have problems to contact Virgin, but the only replies that they receive is that it must be a problem at the host's end.

As I have explained to the users, if this was the case we would all have connectivity problems and not just Virgin users.

**DavidAllen** · #7 (**permalink**) 18-04-2008, 15:10

I too use Virgin (cable) and occasionally get connection issues. Re-booting the router usually sorts it out. Not tried the flushdns option - I'll give that a go next time it happens.

**jc8654** · #8 (**permalink**) 18-04-2008, 15:27

I've almost given up with Virgin support actually doing anything useful... They just seem to mess you about and charge you a stupid amount per minute for it...

**Latona** · #9 (**permalink**) 18-04-2008, 16:48

Quote:

Originally Posted by jc8654

I've almost given up with Virgin support actually doing anything useful... They just seem to mess you about and charge you a stupid amount per minute for it...

Virgin support have taken over where NTL left off... they basically try and blame the user for everything.

When I initially had an NTL line installed it took several engineer visits for them to actually set it up correctly... all along they had blamed my computer and said it wasn't powerful enough to work with their broadband. The computer was more than capable of running it, just they hadn't set it up the right way for the type of modem they installed. The funny thing is that my computer was brand new at the time and the core requirements to work on their system would have been in place on any computer built from 1990 onwards (or maybe before).

9 times out of 10 the person in support only has 3 generic answers for any fault as they are first line support - but 9 times out of 10 the answer is always one of 3 responses with the responses along the lines of:

1. check connection cables
2. reboot box
3. switch on at the plug etc

**eUKhost.com** · #10 (**permalink**) 18-04-2008, 22:17

Quote:

Originally Posted by Latona

9 times out of 10 the person in support only has 3 generic answers for any fault as they are first line support - but 9 times out of 10 the answer is always one of 3 responses with the responses along the lines of:

1. check connection cables
2. reboot box
3. switch on at the plug etc

lol. I do agree with that

running ISP Business is quite complicated on all levels. You can see takeovers every other day in this Industry and no one manages to run it well even after so many takeovers.

**jc8654** · #11 (**permalink**) 18-04-2008, 22:36

Maybe that should be the next expansion of eUK?

**eUKhost.com** · #12 (**permalink**) 20-04-2008, 01:40

Quote:

Originally Posted by jc8654

Maybe that should be the next expansion of eUK?

nope. we don't want to spoil our relations with our customers. We all get involved when we come across with one unhappy customer, but that won't be possible if we start offering broadband service. There is no way for us to compete with existing ISP's as we cannot offer broadband service for such low price.

**Star** · #13 (**permalink**) 30-04-2008, 20:24

Hmmm I'm at a loss as to what to do.

The IP traceroute showed everything was fine, and we've tried DNS flushing but it's still going on. Several members of my website hosting are still having this problem which was never an issue before!

**jc8654** · #14 (**permalink**) 30-04-2008, 21:24

I really don't know what to suggest to this... It's something at Virgin's end but if they won't admit it, it will be like banging your head against a brick wall...

**Star** · #15 (**permalink**) 30-04-2008, 22:36

Any ideas why this didn't happen with my previous server? I do understand this isn't a server issue as such, otherwise all my users would be affected, but it's just we never had his problem before as I said!

**WelshTom** · #16 (**permalink**) 01-05-2008, 11:34

I have simular issues on Virgin Cable.

I've never managed to pinpoint the problem!

Sometimes, I loose access to the eUKhost network for a short period of time. I don't get an instant 404, - the browser has a "timeout" effect, so it takes a while before the browser returns an error that it can't access the website hosting.

The way I resolve it is by pulling out my LAN cable for 2 minutes, and flushing the DNS cache.

The outages often occur when uploading to FTP - but whenever it does happen, I'm still able to access the network from other computers within the office - strange?

When it does go down however, the server can still respond to ICMP (ping) requests, and a traceroute can occur without errors.

Quote:

Tracing route to node2-twrwebdesign.uk1dns.com [92.48.102.155]
over a maximum of 30 hops:

1 <1 ms <1 ms <1 ms 192.168.1.254
2 16 ms 10 ms 11 ms 10.130.160.1
3 11 ms 12 ms 27 ms cdif-t2cam1-a-v117.inet.ntl.com [62.254.254.69]
4 12 ms 15 ms 10 ms cdif-t2core-a-ge-wan83.inet.ntl.com [195.182.175.201]
5 14 ms 13 ms 15 ms bir-bb-a-so-720-0.inet.ntl.com [213.105.172.45]
6 14 ms 14 ms 15 ms nth-bb-b-so-220-0.inet.ntl.com [62.253.185.85]
7 31 ms 18 ms 39 ms tele-ic-1-as0-0.inet.ntl.com [62.253.184.2]
8 18 ms 37 ms 38 ms 212.250.14.90
9 45 ms 14 ms 20 ms ge-5-2.the.uk.euroconnex.net [87.127.231.90]
10 15 ms 18 ms 14 ms pri.bsq2-the.as29550.net [217.112.81.86]
11 19 ms 21 ms 21 ms 92.48.97.8
12 18 ms 17 ms 18 ms node2-twrwebdesign.uk1dns.com [92.48.102.155]

Trace complete.

When I loose access, it's not just my dedicated server, it's the entire eUKhost network.

**DavidAllen** · #17 (**permalink**) 01-05-2008, 12:31

I also have this problem - I'm with Virgin cable - and as you say a quick reboot of the router solves it. And yes I have also noticed it often on ftp uploads.
When I lose the connection to Euk it is only to Euk - I can access other bits of the internet just fine

Odd - wonder why it happens

**WelshTom** · #18 (**permalink**) 01-05-2008, 12:48

Quote:

Originally Posted by DavidAllen

I also have this problem - I'm with Virgin cable - and as you say a quick reboot of the router solves it. And yes I have also noticed it often on ftp uploads.
When I lose the connection to Euk it is only to Euk - I can access other bits of the internet just fine

Odd - wonder why it happens

Yeh, it's strange...

Well, I was about to go and buy a new router - although it seems it's not the routers fault - it's Virgin Media :P

**shoecake** · #19 (**permalink**) 01-05-2008, 16:10

Quote:

Originally Posted by DavidAllen

I also have this problem - I'm with Virgin cable - and as you say a quick reboot of the router solves it. And yes I have also noticed it often on ftp uploads.
When I lose the connection to Euk it is only to Euk - I can access other bits of the internet just fine

Odd - wonder why it happens

A few years ago I had one of the first ADSL routers and at the time when I was administering my Dedicated Server (not an EUK one) I would get the same problems i.e. that halfway through doing something my Dedicated Server would "disapear" but other servers were fine.

It turned out that there was a bug in the router firmware so that it was incorrectly identifying my Dedicated Server as performing a DOS attack on me and so would block all traffic.

It is possible something similar is happening here, either with your router at home or somewhere on the Virgin network.

If everyone posts what make and model their router is, maybe we can find some common factor.

**WelshTom** · #20 (**permalink**) 01-05-2008, 16:20

Quote:

Originally Posted by shoecake

A few years ago I had one of the first ADSL routers and at the time when I was administering my Dedicated Server (not an EUK one) I would get the same problems i.e. that halfway through doing something my Dedicated Server would "disapear" but other servers were fine.

It turned out that there was a bug in the router firmware so that it was incorrectly identifying my Dedicated Server as performing a DOS attack on me and so would block all traffic.

It is possible something similar is happening here, either with your router at home or somewhere on the Virgin network.

If everyone posts what make and model their router is, maybe we can find some common factor.

This is not the cause of the problem as the entire eUKhost network becomes inaccessible. If I have an SSH connection open during the outage - SSH still works fine - but everything else is unusuable.